(A Sermon in words and slides based on the book by Jean-Francois Dumont")Text: Mark 9: 8-9

In Boston where people are encased in snow, in Syria where ISIS has turned sprawling cities into mangled steel and heaps of concrete rubble, in a one-room paint-pealing apartment where the mail brings nothing but more bills, drowning the already penniless person in more debt, in school where unmet assignments are overwhelming a student with the threat of failing, each one, when hearing today’s Gospel, may want to cry out, “Jesus, take ME to the mountain, too!” Maybe that someone is YOU.“Take ME to the mountain, lift me into this mysterious, wondrous story that turns contentious religious debates into a heavenly conversation that has us listening in on Moses, the lawgiver, and Elijah, the prophet, and Jesus, the One with whom God is well pleased.“Take US to the mountain, clothed in all the horrors that darken everyday life, all the filth that clings to us – giving us the stench of self-centered choices, of steel-like prejudices, of broken promises made to God and a lost joy that has us singing, “Where is the blessedness I knew, When first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul refreshing view Of Jesus and His Word?” (William Cowper)“Take US to this day’s Gospel Mountain, to stand with Peter and James and John and be overwhelmed by the sight of the dazzling pureness of Jesus that cleanses us and renders us speechless as, in this time of worship, we find ourselves getting as close to God as a human can get. And, like Peter, we want to stay. Especially now in the brutal cold of these winter days; we want to stay in the warming fire of worship.But, we know we only come to this mountaintop time of worship where we are washed in the splendor of God shining on us in Jesus, so we may walk with Him into the valley, where seeing only Jesus, we follow Him into the very places from which we have come, down in the valley where a story carries the echo of the call to take up Jesus’ ministry; down in the valley where “The Chickens Build a Wall.” (A story told in word and with slides taken from the book written and illustrated by Jean-Francois Dumont)No one is sure why a wall appeared on a farm in England. It all began one fall morning when a hedgehog showed up in the middle of the barnyard; perhaps he was lost or looking for something to eat. No one had even seen a hedgehog and everyone was fascinated by this strange new creature. When he saw that everyone had gathered to look at him, he curled into a tight ball – to everyone’s astonishment.The ducks quacked, the chicks clucked, and all the birds cast their suspicious look. Only Zita, the smallest goose, said maybe he was startled by all the attention, but no one listened to her.An old pigeon who had traveled far and wide said he’s heard about these creatures and warned everyone to be cautious.All the time the hedgehog didn’t move and soon they stopped watching and went back to work – while always keeping a wary eye on the curled up creature. In the morning the hedgehog had disappeared and in the henhouse rumors were flying, “Bet he didn’t leave empty-handed. We’d better count our chicks and our eggs.” None were missing but one chicken noticed there were fewer worms. Someone reasoned. “He ate them!” and the clucking grew louder.

The rooster decided it was time to take control. “Hens, that’s enough! We’ve got to protect ourselves against prickly invaders.” Only one little chick protested, “If we use our beaks to defend ourselves, we’ll all be pecked to death.” “Let’s build a wall around the hen house,” the rooster suggested, “high enough to keep out wild animals, so high even birds won’t be able to fly over it!”To the rest of the farm the idea was ridiculous, except for the thought that it might block hearing the rooster’s crow at dawn.The hens ignored the mocking and kept on working while the rooster watched the wall grow higher and higher.The hens didn’t stop even when snow began to fall and soon the wall was higher than the barn, but the rooster ordered, “Keep on building; the higher the wall the safer we’ll be!”Soon the wall was so high no one could see where it ended. The hens were exhausted, and wanted the barnyard to return to normal. The rooster put the last brick in place amid joyful clucking and everyone celebrated with a huge party.At that moment the hedgehog appeared from the straw where he had spent the winter sleeping.Since they had forgotten to build a door, he stayed while the rooster worked at breaking through to make an an opening. The wall was so thick it took all summer.Meanwhile, the hens got used to the hedgehog and the hedgehog was no longer afraid of the hens. So he stayed and there was no need to have a wall. It stayed torn down, down in the valley.“”Down in the valley” where walls of prejudice, fences that isolate, barriers that segregate, barracks built with wires and concrete, and with edicts and mind-sets, are torn down with the truth Paul put into the words: For he is our peace; in his flesh he has…broken down the dividing wall, that…he might create in himself one new humanity…thus making peace…through the cross… (Ephesians 2: 14-16 – adapted) “Down in the valley” where Jesus set His pace to walk to the cross and, in the Season of Lent, we will retrace His steps to tear down walls within us and around us, walls others build and we build, to be our peace. “Down in the valley” where we go after the Benediction – God’s good word that sends us from the mountain of worship, charged with having caught a glimpse of a God-filled moment, or – if nothing happened, then, walking in the glory witnessed by Peter and James and John, and in that borrowed joy, live in the world within us and around us, where the after Good Friday Jesus stepped from the tomb to walk with us and work through us to break down walls that stand in the way of bringing His peace to us and to everyone else. Amen.

Every time I look at a Boy Scout uniform, my first thought is “those patches and merit badges!” which I remember trying to sew on my husband’s Scout Master’s uniform – with the most valued being the Wood Badge, and for our two sons, the Eagle Scout patch. Some may try fabric glue, but it really doesn't hold; only needle and thread work, and it is work - to get the troop numbers straight and all the merit badges in line on the sash.

My second thought is “all those merit badges,” more than 120 possibilities with 12 specified ones and at least 10 more needed to attain the rank of Eagle Scout. It was that thought that prompted my asking Scouts in Troop7155 what badges they found the most fun to earn; and they answered:

Geocaching (If the name sounds strange, ask a Scout what it is.), Orienteering, (using the compass), Personnel Fitness, Rifle Shooting, Shotgun Shooting, (and look out for the kickback when firing), Small Boat Sailing, White Water (rafting).

When asked, “Of all the badges, what are the most challenging?” the immediate response was: Cycling (50 miles, 25 each way up hills, in hot weather!), and the hardest of all: the three Citizenship Badges – Community, Nation, World – all required for the rank of Eagle Scout.

When hearing those answers my third thought was, “’Isaiah’s merit badge" printed out in the questions we hear in today’s Old Testament lesson.”Have you not known? Have you not heard?

Questions asked in a tone that implies we just need to admit we do know and have heard the answer which follows: The Lordis the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. Boy Scouts do begin to know and hear that answer when working on merit badges that have them: plotting points on a compass, setting a sail to catch the wind, digging into the earth, which serve as an introduction to the earth’s magnetic poles, the wind’s patterns, the sky’s expanse into space beyond our calculating and exploring, the earth’s age plotted in geological layers that, if symbolized in the count of 365 days, tell us we humans appeared in the last second of the last minute of the last hour in the last day.

A perspective that humbles us with the thought that we are living in an earth home filled with evidence of having been designed and created by a Force, by a Power, that for want of a name we call:The Lord, the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

It is this confession that a Christian clergyman, John Clover Monsma, gathered from 40 scientists and printed in 1958 in the book, “The Evidence of God in an Expanding Universe.” Since its first printing, it has been updated with ongoing scientific writings, which, along with merit badges, become a reference for a Scout and everyone else to say what we already know and have heard, that:The Lordis the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth…;evidence Scouts uncover when digging in the earth, or plotting a course by the stars.

The rest of today’s Old Testament lesson goes on to list a specific requirement that most be met to qualify for Isaiah’s merit badge. As the description is read, specific words stand out and take on special meaning: He (God) does not faint or grow weary; and He gives power to those who do:Scouts and leaders on the 50 mile cycling trip, white water rafting; hiking the trails in the once-in-a-life time Philmont experience, when: Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted.

A Scout Master and Dad, who is looking forward to his second trip to Philmont, along with his son and the troop, said he’s busy working at getting in shape for hiking and climbing and all the rigors of the trail and camp outs. He knows firsthand what it is to feel faint, be weary, and fall exhausted into bed at night, or maybe along the trail, long before getting to the campsite. A feeling anyone may know without going to Philmont.

A pastor tells of passing by a Sunday school classroom door where parents of pre-schoolers meet. They had decided to give their group a name and post it on the door. Ideas such as “Searchers” or “Learners” were considered. The next Sunday when the pastor walked by, he saw a laminated sign announcing their choice: “Tired Parents Class.” (The Rev. Dr. James E. Lamkin, Senior Pastor, Northside Drive Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA.)

It is then that Scouts who want to qualify for Isaiah’s merit badge, and all the rest of us who are exhausted and stressed out by everyday life, need to turn to and trust Isaiah’s counsel that is really a promise: those who wait for theLordshall renew their strength.

There is a prayer-exercise that invites us when we don’t have the strength to take another step, our muscles can’t pedal one more turn or paddle one more stroke, or the know-how to know how to get out of a crisis isn’t there to retrieve from our brain, or when feeling like we are being squeezed into nothingness, or, when at the end of our rope of strength or solutions, are told to “tie a knot and hold on” only to see the fraying rope is about to break and drop us into a swamp filled with hungry alligators; when that’s how we feel, that’s the time to breath in the word “wait,” then “for theLord,” then “to renew strength.”

The “wait” that has us confessing we are not superheroes, we are not invincible, and with that confession we “wait,” we yield, we submit to the trust that God Who has given us our breath, will give us the strength to be like an eagle – resting on the winds; like a runner- stopping and breathing in that second breath.

Scouts who wear the lifesaving badge know in a water rescue you must convince the drowning person to stop struggling – or both of you will be pulled under. “Rest,” you say, “rest on me, trust me.” Practice for trusting in the words:but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

And when we do, all of us qualify to wear the patch that is Isaiah’s merit badge. Amen. +++++++++++++++++++Sunday's "Prayers of the People" based on the Gospel: (Epiphany 5 - Mark 1: 35)

Eternal God, we hear how, when you walked among us in Jesus Christ, a busy and hectic pace was followed by a night’s rest, and then, first thing in the morning, a quiet time in a deserted place, an isolated quietness for prayer. We would have our day begin in that same way, as we come to this holy, quiet place where others have paused in years past and now we take our turn.Here, we quiet our cell phones and pages, our racing thoughts working out today’s already overloaded schedule; here we open ourselves to receive your Word beyond our words as you speak to us through Scripture and song, and now – in prayer. Here we release into your care and keeping: our financially and physically chaotic world, those who are the problem and each who is struggling to find solutions; here we release our inner struggles and hopes, our fears and our joys; here we release names waiting to be given to you…Here we release ourselves to be caught up in your love and purpose for this congregation and each of us, and the ministries that happen within these walls and beyond them. Here, this day we give ourselves to you to be shaped and used by you, for you, through Jesus Christ in whose name we pray. Amen.

Text: 1 Corinthians 8: 5, 6; Mark 1: 27 The Apostle Paul may have been writing to first-century Christians living in Corinth, the most cosmopolitan city in his time, but what he said then, holds true to this day, there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth-- as in fact there are many gods and many lords--Yes there are, and these “gods” either entice us to bow down to them or force us to submit to them, or are chosen by us: In the family it may be the parent who demands, “Listen to me; I am your Mother/Father!” In school it may be an Assistant Principal or disciplinarian a student is ordered to face with, “Go to the office!” And, try to pay a bill on line and find out how godlike the internet can be. As a matter of fact, in the Hindu religion where all that’s considered important is elevated to the status of a god, the computer has been added to the display now numbering over 6,000 images.Name who is really in charge of your life, what is taking up all your energy and time, what dominates your thoughts, name it, and call it what it is: a “god.” Then read on beyond Paul’s words:there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth-- as in fact there are many gods and many lords--to: yet for us there is one God, the Father…It’s the test to use to expose “so-called gods” working in our life to displace the God Whose creative act is seen in the intricacies in nature, the ordered precision of the smallest bacterium on earth to the ever expanding galaxies seen in images beamed back to us via the Hubble telescope. Other “gods” that demand our full allegiance, block out any sight of the reflection of the Creator of the heavens and earth, Who, in Paul’s words is the God from whom are all things and for whom we exist. After delving into every “god” and cult of the late 300’s through the mid 400’s , Augustine finally came to confess,“You, O God, have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you.”For the Apostle Paul whose Hebrew name was Saul, his ancestral confession, repeated every morning and night: (Deut. 6:4) “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord…” took on flesh and blood as God walked among us, to be seen and heard, in Jesus Christ, prompting Paul to add: and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.In the Gospel we hear the crowd’s reaction to Jesus, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”prompting Paul to address Jesus as “Lord and Savior,” which was his vivid response to the question: “Who’s in charge of your life?” When religious wars were raging along the Rhine River valley in sixteenth century Germany, Duke Frederick III ordered a young professor at the University of Heidelberg to write a teaching tool that would bring warring sides together by educating Christians to pledge sole allegiance to Christ. The document was titled the Heidelberg Catechism with its first question being: “What is your only comfort in life?” and the answer follows: “That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.” When our Southern slaves had to answer to the lord and master of the plantation who controlled their entire life, they said under their breath, “But you, too, will have to answer to my Lord, Jesus Christ.”When we come to the time of Baptism and Confirmation and their vows, we answer with our “I do” to: being in “the faith and family of Jesus Christ”; renouncing “the powers of evil” (other gods) and saying “yes” to “the freedom of new life in Christ”; and professing “Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.” Baptism and Confirmation, the two times we promise in public to work for the rest of our life to show that our answer to the question: “Who’s in charge of your life?” is: “The God we know through Jesus Christ.”You may have heard the old story about a young man who had been captured and enslaved to work in an African mine. He stood out from all the others who were bent down by the hopelessness of their plight and the weight they were forced to carry. But he stood tall and balanced the heavy load on his head. His capturers mocked him as they said, “He thinks he’s still the chieftain’s son.”Our answer to “Who’s in charge of your life?” shows as we stand tall in our choices and commitments that echo the truth we do not forget: we are not our own nor do we belong to any of the gods of this world; we belong to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.Today that confession turns inward to the life of our congregation as we ordain and install members to our Church Council. In the service we hear, and they accept, the commission: “Receive authority to execute the office…in the name of Christ.” (UCC Book of Worship, P. 437)“Execute authority” received from Christ, as God’s Spirit works in our lay leaders who are Christ’s servants in the community of Christ’s people. It is really the authority of Christ channeled through those who do whatever they do in the life of the church, and then carry into home, workplace, sports’ field, mall and neighborhood.Today we recognize and celebrate the evidence of the answer to “Who’s in charge of your life?” as we pledge Christ is in charge of our church and each who serves in some way in our congregation, beginning in and through Church Council.One of our neighboring UCC churches is being served by a supply pastor of another denomination. Right before the Christmas Eve service, the pastor became desperately ill with the flu and continued to be ill for more than a month. What amazed the pastor was that members of the Church Council stepped up to help; it wasn’t a practice with which the person was familiar.

It was an introduction to how we in the UCC live to answer “Who’s in charge of your life?” and say, “Christ, and we are His servants, each one of us, beginning in the church.”What we affirmed and celebrate here, today. Amen.

Author

Rev. Dr. Martha B. Kriebel is Pastor Emerita of Trinity Reformed United Church of Christ in Collegeville, PA